Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
The following article is written by Miss Iqra Ali, a student of Sir Syed Kazim Ali. Moreover, the article is written on the same pattern, taught by Sir Kazim to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. Therefore, to help thousands of CSS and PMS aspirants, we have uploaded this article so they can understand how to crack a topic or a question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
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Water has now become a commodity in many parts of the world. However, with all its water routes coming from India, Pakistan is on the verge of a lingering water crisis due to the continuous tension and international agreement violation by both armed rivalries. Thus, if a permanent solution to the water issue is not devised through pragmatic strategies, Pakistan can face multiple implications of food, health, and energy crisis. | Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
The rising water crisis has become ripe for conflict in many parts of the world. However, the situation has worsened, especially in the regions where poor governance and the rule of law are endemic. For instance, despite having large water resources, Pakistan and India have always been on the verge of war over the water issue that emerged due to the unfair demarcation of Indo-Pak territory at the time of independence and the transgression of many signed treaties by both countries. Since all water needs of Pakistan are fulfilled through the Indus River- having its root in India, the solution to the ever-rising crisis is not entirely within its control. Additionally, the country has not put any significant effort into building the infrastructure to ensure the proper utilization of water coming from India, wasting it into the Arabian Sea. | Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
On the other hand, India- benefiting from its geostrategic location and its strong ties with the super Powers- has started a hundred dam construction projects on the rivers to cut off some of the flow of water-feeding Pakistan. It, consequently, would cause irreparable losses to Pakistan, including droughts, an energy crisis, severe economic loss, and elevated tensions between both states, leading to either hybrid or conventional war. According to the report of National Geographic on a special series on global water issues,” The issue also threatens the fragile peace that holds between the nations of India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed rivals. Water has long been seen as a core strategic interest in the dispute over the Kashmir region, home to the Indus’ headwaters.” Therefore, both countries need to look into the issue seriously so that a diplomatic solution can be found. Moreover, any country violating international laws needs to be called for to save the region from the impending turmoil of the statement, “The twenty-first century will witness the war for water.”
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As it is evident from the facts that the demarcation line published on August 17, 1947, upon the Partition of British India was unjust, granting the base of the Indus Basin-comprising River Indus and five main rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej- to India despite Pakistan comprising the major portion of the Basin. Consequently, India took advantage of being the upper riparian. As a result, it started interfering with the downstream waters by stopping water on Rivers Ravi and Sutlej from April 1948, hardly after a year of partition. The stress shocked Pakistan since the water was irrigating almost 1.6 Million Acres of land at that time. Thus, to solve the issue timely, the World Bank put efforts to culminate an agreement between both countries, named Indus Water Treaty in 1960. According to this, Eastern Rivers-Ravi, Sutlej, and Bias- were given under the control of India, whereas Pakistan was given the rights to the Western Rivers- Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. However, the treaty was implemented with some specific provisions for the use of water by India from the river, which India never fulfilled. Instead, it always transgressed the treaty’s provision with its rival acts of blocking and unplugging water without any initial information. | Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
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Currently, Pakistan and India- being in the sub-tropical region of the world- will shortly face increasing water scarcity due to rain loss and evaporation, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. That backdrops the growing conflict between Pakistan and India over freshwater. Additionally, the population of both countries is exploding at an unprecedented rate, due to which the water demand is increasing every passing day. As mentioned in the report of National Geographic, “Dwindling River flows will be harder to share as the populations in both countries grow, and the per-capita water supply plummets.” The remarkable difference between the rival states is that India is continuously working on its hundred dam construction plans, including Baglihar, Kishenganga, Salal, Dulhasti, etc., hydroelectric projects to choke up the water flow.
On the other hand, Pakistan still lacks the essential infrastructure for dam development- despite having the world’s most extensive continuous irrigation system- due to various sectarian and political issues, which aggravate the water crisis in Pakistan. In the long run, all this would threaten Pakistan’s agriculture and hydropower generation. Thus, the impact of the issue on Pakistan would exasperate the potential for conflict between India and Pakistan, and verbal jousting would turn into water riots or armed conflict.
Since the water issue between Pakistan and India is quite sensitive, its severity can be detrimental, particularly for Pakistan. It is anticipated that by 2025, the country will face a water shortage of thirty-one million acre-feet of water. As irrigated agriculture accounts for ninety per cent of Pakistan’s water resources, the figures are particularly significant, stimulating a severe food crisis. Additionally, all the central industrial units are run by hydroelectric plants. The water loss would not only cause extreme energy loss but also result in extreme economic destabilization. As aptly said by Michael Kugelman-a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, “The problem with Pakistan’s economy is that most of the major industries use a ton of water—textiles, sugar, wheat.” The rising demand for water in the face of dwindling resources is being mirrored in India. The relative water insecurity felt by both neighbours sharing the same resources could disturb the social interaction of their masses, thus, amplifying the already tense relations. The elevated fear could aggravate the concentration of non-state actors to destabilize the rivalries and create chaos in the regions through religious and sectarian extremism. Despicably, Pakistan’s concern- being the low riparian state- that India would use its collective web of dams to cut off water in future conflicts is not an unfounded fear. In 2002, India’s then water Resources Minister Bijoya Chakroborty explicitly threatened that they would abrogate all treaties to cause a drought in Pakistan to bring the Pakistani nation to its knees and force them “to beg every drop of water.” Thus, the repeated threats are potentiated enough to blaze the already present conflict between the two. Additionally, Since India has also started working on dam projects from another side- i.e., on the Shahtoot Dam Project-thirteen projects in total- in Afghanistan on the river adjoining Pakistan, the land of the pure is in the continues fear to run dry as the water needs aggravate shortly. According to Soloman- a water expert, “The future looks grim. Eventually, flows of the Indus are expected to decrease as global warming causes the Himalayan glaciers to retreat, while monsoons will get more intense. Terrifyingly, Pakistan only can hold 30-day reserve storage of water as a buffer against drought.”
Although Pakistan cannot tackle the water conflict, the following measures can help the country control the crisis.
- The country needs to develop infrastructure to increase storage and improve efficiency. Awareness campaigns should be held to aware people of the importance of water.
- Indo-Pak water dispute to be highlighted as a potential conflict area at the international forums
- The world may stress India to limit its projects on Eastern water.
Pakistan must ensure diplomatic relations with India so that water projects can bring shared benefits for both countries.
Since the world has already witnessed the impacts of the oil crisis in the twentieth century, the potential for conflict over water in many parts of the world has been one of the reasons that former President Barack Obama has added water as a diplomatic priority. However, the way the oil crisis has been detrimental, particularly for the Middle East, due to rivalries between Iran and Saudia Arabia; the Water Crisis can be equally- or even more- pernicious for the South Asian region because of the multiple subjects of conflict between Pakistan and India. More accurately, Pakistan would face the most severe implication as it is dependent on India for the water flow throughout the country. Therefore, the country needs to focus on storage projects so that the situation may not get worse, as experienced in Yemen, where water riots ripped the country apart and destabilized it economically and socially.
To sum up, the world faces a war of water on the horizon due to ever-rising water scarcity and increased Earth consumption. Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing a catastrophic predicament due to a lack of foresighted policies, investment in infrastructure, and a hostile neighbour- more importantly, India- having all control of the water base. Therefore, it is high time the country found a sensible solution to the water issues with India through international organizations to save itself from the forthcoming war threats. Additionally, the internal policies to construct water storage bodies and control water wastage in the industrial, domestic, and agricultural sectors must be made and implemented so that the country can deal with water issues efficiently. | Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
About Author
Miss Iqra Ali – a known CSS General Science and Ability Coach- is a student of Sir Syed Kazim Ali. Professionally, she is medical imaging technologist who graduated from King Edward Medical University Lahore. Along with her background diagnostic degree, she has a keen interest in writing and teaching. Thus, she has been guiding thousands of young graduates about freelance blogging in all fields in general and in medicine in Particular. Furthermore, in the area of competitive exams, Miss Iqra Ali has been coaching CSS and PMS aspirants on the subject of GSA/ EDS. Apart from this, she has been engaged in writing articles and blogs on various topics to help her readers always know the best. | Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
CSS & PMS Solved Questions Attempted by Sir Syed Kazim Ali’s Students
The following are the some solved questions attempted by Sir Kazim Ali’s students who scored the highest marks in compulsory subjects. Click on any to land Cssprepforum, Pakistan’s largest CSS and PMS exams preparatory website, and start learning. All the questions have their breakdowns, outlines, and solutions. | Indo-Pak Water Vows: Implications and Way Forward
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